


(don't) Hold Me Now

by HighCaptain



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Short One Shot, Touch Afflicted Character, Touch-Averse Damian Wayne, Touch-Starved Damian Wayne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27317083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighCaptain/pseuds/HighCaptain
Summary: Marinette knows Damian better than he thinks she does. They've known each other for a while, even before they started dating. So, she would like to be given a bit more credit than this.(In which Damian says, "I'm fine," and his girlfriend calls bullshit)
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 25
Kudos: 282





	(don't) Hold Me Now

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, a quick note. I know a lot of people complain about how certain characters say they don't like to be touched and then turn around to hang off on one specific person, so I decided to write this. 
> 
> Touch aversed and touch starved people are a thing, but it's not this cute thing like most fics and even my fic portrays it. If someone says they don't want to be touched then don't.

It was an overcast sky on a lazy weekend date in Damian’s room that Marinette gathered her courage. It was fine, she could do this, it was only the first serious discussion they had since they started dating. It would be fine, it would go well, everything would be _fine_.

Marinette watched her boyfriend fidget.

Well, not fidget exactly. He twitched and shifted as though he was trying to get more comfortable, but she wasn’t born yesterday. He was clearly uncomfortable. She leaned away slightly and saw him relax before tensing up again. He made an aborted move to pull her back, then persisted, rigid.

Ok, she could do this. The time to act was now!

Marinette fully pulled away and leaned against the small love seat of his room, facing him.

“Damian,” she said. “You don’t have to force yourself for my sake.”

“What do you mean?” he asked. “That was a rather sudden affirmation. You know I don’t do things I don’t want to.”

“I know, but,” she bit her lip. “I don’t think you noticed? At least consciously, I mean.”

He raised a brow and she hurried to continue. “It just feels like you're forcing yourself to be physically affectionate with me. It’s fine if you don’t want to, is what I’m trying to say.”

He started to frown. “Marinette, I can assure you that I want to touch you,” he lifted a hand to caress her cheek.

“Why wouldn’t I want to touch my lovely girlfriend?” He pulled her in for a chaste kiss.

“Marinette, Habibti, Jamilati,” he peppered kisses all over her face, and she couldn’t calm her heart even if she tried. Every time he did things like this her face would turn redder than her old Ladybug suit.

“I rather enjoy doing things like this, so why wouldn’t I like being affectionate with you, Marinette?”

“I-I know that, but I meant for the act of prolonged contact like cuddling. I can tell it makes you uncomfortable, Damian.”

“It’s…” he hesitated and she gave him a reassuring smile, folding her hands in her lap.

“It’s not you, Marinette,” he grabbed her hands. “If nothing else, please believe me when I say that it’s not because of you.”

“I know,” she said confidently. Damian blinked, losing his momentum. She couldn’t help her wry grin. Damian liked to be dramatic sometimes, but she always found it equal parts endearing and exasperating.

“Damian, you always show that you care about me all the time. You may not say it often or cling onto me as though you’ll never see me again, but you show it in your actions. How many people can say that their boyfriend traveled across the ocean to give them their Chanel bag because they’d forgotten it?”

“That’s different, you custom ordered that,” he frowned.

“How about when you stayed with me all day when I found out my Nonna was in an accident,” he opened his mouth. “After two weeks of dating?” He closed it and looked away.

“Damian,” she called to him, but he still didn’t look at her. “Come on, look at me, please?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, eyes averted. “I don’t know why I’m so indecisive about this, truly.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not you in the least, I can say that for certain, but it’s like my body can’t make up its mind. It’s been a long time since I’d come to accept that I was touch starved, but I always figured it came down to a matter of trust of who I let touch me.” He looked at her, a nervous glint in his eyes.

“Marinette, I trust you, I really do--”

“Damian,” she gently spoke. “It’s not about whether or not you trust me. It’s about what’s comfortable for you.”

She looked deep into his eyes with a tender gaze. “I know that you’re trying to make up for your touch aversion, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of your peace of mind.

_He was what now?_ His face seemed to say.

“Touch aversion?”

“You know,” she shrugged. “Where the sensation of touch gives you negative feelings, regardless of what type it is? I remember you telling me you didn’t have the best childhood, and everyone looks, um, murderous I guess, whenever anyone so much as thinks about asking about your past.”

Damian blinked at her incredulously and she fiddled with her fingers to work up her nerve.

“I know that you’ve been through a lot, and you find it hard to trust others, much less trust them with your body, so I’m honored that you think of me so highly. I’m glad you like to hold my hand and kiss my cheek. It makes me feel loved that you want to hold me like that, “ she blushed.

“But, I don’t like it if it means that you ignore your own needs first, Damian. That kind of thing doesn’t make me feel loved at all,” She looked at him seriously. “It makes me feel like an obligation, a burden.”

“Never,” he retorted. “I just, I do want to hold you, to cuddle and just lay together, _I do_. It just feels like I want to claw my own skin off for even letting anyone touch me, which makes me even angrier because I _want_ to touch you. I always reach out to you because I want to, Marinette, but I stop myself because I don’t want to take my frustrations out on you.”

He huffed tiredly and she leaned over to him, tilting her head to catch his eyes.

“Well, it’s a good thing we’re talking about this isn’t it?”

“I figured you would be mad at me for this, something like a silent treatment,” Damian eyed her suspiciously.

“Oh, did you snoop through my phone and invade my privacy?” she asked him teasingly.

“No, I have no need to. In any case, we were talking about--”

“Then you lied to me?”

“What, no, I’ve been telling the truth this entire time!” he spluttered.

“So you must be cheating on me, is that it?” she asked.

“Marinette for heaven’s sake, no! I’d rather slit my own throat than disgrace you like that,” Damian spoke quickly. “If I wanted someone else I wouldn’t string you along.”

She hummed. “I see, you’re breaking up with me.”

“No!” he insisted. “None of what you are saying is happening!”

“Then why would I be mad at you? I know it’s not because of me and I know it’s something out of your control, so getting mad at you over this would be more than a little unreasonable.”

“Because I know how affectionate you are? You are literally the type of person to drape yourself over your friends.”

“Yes, because they don’t mind it.”

“I don’t mind it either,” he pointed out.

“Yes, but only for like, less than a minute.” she refuted.

“I can make exceptions?” he tried.

“Only if the situation calls for it, and last I checked we aren’t in a life-threatening situation. Though I am a little cold.”

He shrugged out of his jacket and pulled it over her shoulders. “That doesn’t mean I can’t make further exceptions.”

“Damian, it’s not about can or can’t. It’s that you shouldn’t,” she sighed. “It is also not about how or why.”

She stared intently into his eyes and she could see the moment he began to cave.

“Mari,” he mumbled helplessly. “Are you really ok with this?”

“Of course,” she beamed. “After all, I know you still care.” She pulled his jacket on tighter.

“Yes, but,” She stopped him with a chaste kiss.

“Dami, it’s fine.” She pecked his lips again. “Whatever makes you comfortable, ok?”

He gazed at her for a long time before relenting. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Okay.”

They both didn’t speak for a long time as they went back to relaxing on the loveseat. The air felt lighter and Damian stopped fidgeting, no longer reaching out to her. It was fine because he turned his body to face her, gazing at her with soft eyes.

“How is it that you want to stay with me after knowing all of this?” he asked, smiling.

She pulled him into a slightly longer kiss. “It’s because I love you, dork.”

She froze, clapping a hand against her mouth as Damian’s eyes bulged open wide.

“Shit! Uh, I didn’t mean to say that!” She rushed out, then panicked further. “Wait, no, I meant it, it’s just that I didn’t mean to say it right then! After all, we’ve only been dating for two months, well it’s actually three months today, but who’s keeping track amiright, so if you could just pretend that I didn’t open my mouth at all that would be fantastic--”

“No.” He said, staring at her with an entranced look that she might’ve seen without the panic.

She gaped. “No? Why?!”

She felt faint. She didn’t mean to let that out so soon into their relationship, especially after they just had an emotional talk about boundaries, it slipped out so naturally that she didn’t think anything of it until she saw his face morph like that. It would have been funny, really, but--

“Marinette,” Warm, rough hands held her face and slid around to thread long fingers through her hair.

“I love you, too.” She squeaked as she was pulled into a soft kiss before relaxing as he deepened the embrace.

She breathed heavily when they finally separated. “Are you, um, sure that it’s not too soon to say that? We started dating not too long ago…” she trailed off, flushing deeper at the look in his eye and looked away.

“I’m sure,” he said, stroking his thumbs across the apples of her cheeks. “More than sure, actually.”

He pulled away and stood up. “I’m going to grab a spare blanket. We’ll share.”

He smirked as he went, no doubt amused that she was turning quite the shade of pink.

She buried her face in her hands and groaned.

“What were you worried about, when you made me love you like this,” she mumbled to herself.

“Jerk.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey again. I know I said all that in the beginning, but I mean it. People can be both, so it's best to try and talk things out clearly so minimize the potential damage as much as possible. Mental and emotional health is serious.
> 
> ....
> 
> Now validate me.


End file.
